description: >
Basic Spacemacs keybindings. How to exit. File management. Moving the cursor.
The buffer. Edit mode basics. Insert mode basics. Windows. UI toggles. Updates.
title: "Spacemacs Basics"
Version: 0.200.XX
Table of Contents
Keybinding mode
C-z toggles holy and evil keybinding modes. When the cursor is blue, spacemacs
is in holy mode. When it's yellow, in evil. All spacemacs cheat sheets assume evil
mode.
To get a list of all the keybindings type SPC ?. Check the
section below on Helm{:rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener"}
for details on using that kind of list.
Exit Spacemacs
| Description | Keybinding |
|--------------------------|------------|
| stop / cancel | `C-g` |
| restart spacemacs | `SPC q r` |
| exit spacemacs | `C-x C-c` |
| save then exit spacemacs | `:wqa RET` |
| close/exit mode buffers | `q` |
File Management
Helm
First we decide what we want to do:
| Description | Keybinding |
|---------------------------|------------|
| open file | `SPC f f` |
| save file | `SPC f s` |
| recently open files | `SPC f r` |
| rename current file | `SPC f R` |
| delete current file | `SPC f D` |
| copy current file | `SPC f c` |
| open binary in hex editor | `SPC f h` |
| list file's dir contents | `SPC f j` |
The SPC ff keybinding can also take a path, in which case it will create all
necessary directories in between.
Then, we choose on which file we'll do it. To move around the list
| Description | Keybinding |
|-----------------------|-------------|
| go up one directory | `C-h` |
| move up/down the list | `C-k`/`C-j` |
| jump to file | `C-q` |
| Completion | `TAB` |
At times we might lose focus on Helm's mini-buffer. To regain focus simply
SPC w b.
Projects
Spacemacs automatically tracks any git project (.git sub-directory), whose file
we open.
| Description | Keybinding |
|-------------------------|------------|
| List projects | `SPC p p` |
| Find a file in project | `SPC p f` |
| List project open files | `SPC p h` |
RET completes the actions started with either of the SPC f keybinding family.
It also opens the highlighted project/folder.
NeoTree
| Description | Keybinding |
|----------------------------|--------------|
| toggle NeoTree at pwd | `SPC f t` |
| toggle NeoTree at root | `SPC p t` |
| hide NeoTree buffer | `q` or `fd` |
| stretch tree | `TAB` |
| navigate files/dir | `j` / `k` |
| make root directory | `R` |
| expand dir; open file | `l` or `RET` |
| open file in window \<#> | `<#> l` |
| open file vertical split | `¦` |
| open file horizontal split | `-` |
| toggle hidden files | `s` |
| create node | `c` |
| rename node | `r` |
| delete node | `d` |
| help | `?` |
Crash recovery
Spacemacs auto-saves files. To recover them simply SPC SPC recover to
list all recovery options.
Moving the cursor
| Description | Keybinding |
|----------------------|---------------------------------|
| One line down | `j` |
| One line up | `k` |
| left | `h` |
| right | `l` |
| back one word | `b` |
| advance one word | `w` |
| beginning of line | `0` |
| end of line | `$` |
| Beginning of file | `g g` |
| End of file | `G` |
| Top of buffer | `H` |
| Middle of buffer | `M` |
| End of buffer | `L` |
| Go to line \ | `: RET` or ` G` |
| Jump to line | `SPC j l ` |
| Jump to \ | `SPC j j ` |
Marks
We can set any character as a marker (<m>). That is, a temporal
"buffer bookmark". Marks allow us to move around a document easily.
| Description | Keybinding |
|-------------------------|------------|
| set marker to `` key | `m ` |
| back to marker `` | `' ` |
| back to elsewhere | `' '` |
| view all marks | `:marks` |
| delete marks | `:delm` |
Since markers only last for a session, all marks are cleared when we close its
buffer.
Buffer
| Description | Keybinding |
|-------------------------------|------------|
| Scroll down | `C-e` |
| Scroll up | `C-y` |
| Page up | `C-u` |
| Page down | `C-d` |
| Swap between last two buffer | `SPC TAB` |
| Close current buffer | `SPC b d` |
| Pick buffer to close | `C-x k` |
| Switch buffer | `SPC b b` |
| Scroll full screen down | `C-b` |
| Scroll full screen up | `C-f` |
| Scroll current line to top | `zt` |
| Scroll current line to middle | `zz` |
The SPC bb keybinding can take a filename/buffer to search for it. RET will
open it.
Basic editing
AKA Command mode
Note: <matched> may be any char of the pairs "", '', (), {}, []
| Description | Keybinding |
|------------------------------------|-----------------|
| Copy line | `y y` |
| Copy word | `y w` |
| Delete character under cursor | `x` |
| Delete a word | `d a w` |
| Replace word | `c i w` |
| Delete from cursor to end of word | `d w` |
| Delete from cursor to end of line | `d $` |
| Delete a whole line | `d d` |
| Indent line | `> >` |
| Unindent line | `< <` |
| Remove paragraph indentation | `= a p` |
| Undo last command | `u` |
| Redo command | `C-r` |
| Repeat last command | `.` |
| Put last deletion after cursor | `p` |
| Replace `` contents | `c i ` |
| Join lines separated by whitespace | `J` |
| List copied (yanked) text\* | `SPC r y` |
| Delete `` w/ contents | `d a ` |
| Delete `` contents | `d i ` |
*We can move around the list of yanked text with the Helm keybindings. RET pastes
the highlighted line under wherever the cursor was.
Many of the commands above can be preceded by a number to get the command that
amount of times. For instance, 3dd will delete the line under the cursor, as
well the two below it.
Insert mode basics
You can type after any of these as in a regular editor.
| Description | Keybinding |
|------------------------|-------------|
| Insert (before cursor) | `i` |
| Append (after cursor) | `a` |
| Append (end of line) | `A` |
| Prepend (to line) | `I` |
| New open line below | `o` |
| New open line above | `O` |
| Correct word | `c w` |
| Correct line | `c c` |
| Exit insert mode | `ESC` |
To toggle from `insert mode` to `command mode` quickly we can use `ESC` or type
`fd` quickly.
Window
| Description | Keybinding |
|---------------------------|-------------|
| Split window to the right | `SPC w V` |
| Split window horizontally | `SPC w S` |
| Close current window | `SPC w d` |
| Rotate windows | `SPC w r` |
| Toggle golden ratio | `SPC t g` |
| Switch to window \<#> | `SPC <#>` |
| Close window | `SPC w c` |
UI Toggles
Most of these key binding toggle on/off different
'UI' elements. All are helpful at one time or another
but hardly ever all at once.
| Description | Keybinding |
|--------------------------------------|-------------|
| Highlight current line | `SPC t h h` |
| Display indentation guide | `SPC t i` |
| Display absolute line numbers | `SPC t n` |
| Version control info | `SPC t m v` |
| Global indent guide | `SPC t TAB` |
| Display fill column | `SPC t f` |
| Display whitespace | `SPC t w` |
| Highlight indentation current column | `SPC t h c` |
| Highlight indentation level | `SPC t h i` |
| Fringe (~) | `SPC t ~` |
| Display fringe | `SPC T f` |
| Cycle color theme | `SPC T n` |
Init file
| Description |
Keybinding |
| Go to init.el |
SPC f e d |
| Apply changes |
SPC f e R |
| Diff init.el after upgrade |
SPC f e D |
